STATION OUTSTANDING

STATION OUTSTANDING.

Despite of best efforts by the Station staff, the items/amount which could not be realized/ collected by the staff at the close of the month for which the Balance Sheet indicate closing items are otherwise known as Station outstanding.

The Station Master is personally held responsible for keeping a proper account of such items as also timely clearance. The following items will generally constitute Station outstanding.

1) Floating cash - Since this sum has been provided by the Adm. to enable the Stn for daily transactions no action is generally called for from Station Master to clear this item until either the money is withdrawn or the Stn is closed for traffic.

2) Debit Received from cashier- Debits are received from cash office on Account of torn/soiled notes, counter foil notes, coins are also short remittances by Station. As soon as receipt of debit advice the Station Master has to identify the responsible person and action needs to be taken to make good the amount within 3 days.

3) Admitted Error Sheet (Debit)- The Admitted Error Sheet are the error sheet through which the financial loss sustained by the Railway on account of irregularities/mistakes from Station staff, pointed out by Accounts office, which has been accepted by the Stn from time to time. The amount admitted by the Stn will have to be cleared either in lump sum or in installment by the responsible official. Action taken in this direction by the Stn will have to be recorded in the error sheet register maintained by the Stn besides advising concerned office for recovery in case of installment payable through salary.

4) Not admitted error sheet -These are cleared in two ways -

(i) Either by obtaining credit Advice from Account Office by withdrawing the debits intimated through error sheet .

(ii) Subsequent admission of the not Admitted error sheet by the Station by realizing the mistakes pointed out by the Account office later.

In case of remarks offered by the Station are acceptable to the account office then, it will withdraw the debit by issuing credit advice which will nullify the debit or debit will be accepted by the station and necessary action will be taken to remit the amount by the responsible official as stated above.

5) To-pay Invoice (Consignment received)

Advice to consignor and consignee regarding arrival of the consignment will be issued, advising the party to take delivery within a specified period. In case the party request for diversion of the articles the administration has to act upon this immediately and clear the item. If on the other hand party does not turndown within the specified time, Station Master has to take speedy action by way of either to divert the consignment to Lost Property Office or action for auction and clear the item without any further delay.

6) To-Pay Invoice (consignment not received) -

In order to clear such items the Station Master has to initiate action by confirmation from forwarding station the particulars of Booking as also enquiry and personal contacts. Similarly via station also needs to be contacted for the movements of the consignment. Necessary certified over charge sheets are prepared, get this certified by forwarding station in case it is confirmed the consignment has not been booked to that station or consignment has been withdrawn after preparation of PWB/ Invoice . In the both cases SM is responsible for timely action and speedy clearance of such items particularly the irregular items i.e. more than one month old.

7) Unsold timetable, indemnity bonds, publications: -Due to revision in timings of trains, the timetables which has been supplied to Stations for sale become surplus on account of non sale which contributes an outstanding to Station & thereby in the balance sheet month after month. The unsold timetables are therefore to be returned to Divisional Commercial Manager duly preparing statement of same indicating the total value of the unsold timetables, with a request to advice necessary credit for the same. Similarly the indemnity bonds & other publications which fetches value on it's disposal also required to be returned to the department, if they are time barred and necessary credit obtained from dept to wipe off the corresponding outstanding debit from the Station Balance sheet.

8) Miscellaneous Items:- This comprises rent, water charges, electric charges,crane charges, license fee etc to which the Station Master is responsible for realization as & when it become due. In the case of non realization due to certain reasons beyond the capacity of Station Master, reasons for the non-recovery should be conveyed to higher authorities for taking necessary & timely action appropriate so that outstanding items could be realized and there by the debit could be cleared

Amount accounted for in a particular month but could not be realized / cleared up to the end of the month is termed as station outstanding and as the non realization/clearance pertains to earnings which originate at station the outstanding is called as station outstanding. In short the station outstanding means unrealized earnings or un cleared liabilities. All amount received by the Station Master are shown on debit side of the station balance sheet and amount sent to chief cashier is shown on credit side of station Balance Sheet. Hence the difference of debit side and credit side of station Balance Sheet may also be termed as station outstanding.

CLEARANCE OF ITEMS OF STATION OUTSTANDING.

1) Floating Cash :- All stations which are opened for traffic are provided with some amount in shape of small coins . This amount is known as floating cash . This amount is supplied to the station with the object that the passenger if comes to purchase a ticket and if they do not have sufficient change, to enable the banking clerk to refund the balance amount in the shape of small coins .

This amount should always remain at station forever and as it is. No addition/deletion is permitted from this amount.

2) Cashier's Debit :- This debit is raised by chief cashier for the amount short received or the defaced coins or spoiled or torn notes received along with station remittance through cash remittance note. The cashier debit is to be cleared immediately with in three days by remitting the shortages or replacing the notes and coins because there debit are always accepted debits.

3) Admitted Debit or Admitted error Sheet :- Error Sheet is documents issued by the Account's Office . It is the result of the internal check conducted by Account's Office on the written/documents submitted by the station. Any short Account , Short collection notice by the Account Office is advised to the station through this document . The Error sheet after scrutiny may be admitted or disputed. Admitted error sheet can be cleared as under: -

a) Clearance by payment in cash.

b) Recovery through paysheet.

c) Write off ---under competent authorities sanction.

4) Not Admitted Debits :- If the undercharges shown by the accounts office in error sheet is not acceptable to the station staff, the Station staff should write on the back side of the error sheet 'Not Admitted. This (not admitted)error sheet must show clear remark on the back side for disputing the debit raised. Non admitted error sheets are cleared as under.

a) Credit advice issued to accounts office to withdraw the debit on paying the convinced by the reason put forth by the special station staff.

b) Credit advice note/credit authority letter being issued by the Travelling Inspector Of Accounts on verification of the concerned document and having convinced of wrong/irregular debit.

c) When not admitted debits are returned back by accounts debit for not accepting the reason put forth by the station staff such error sheets are cleared according to the admitted debit or admitted error sheets.

d) Undercharges in inward paid parcel traffic :- Areas of undercharges means the undercharges pertaining to the way of bills or invoices of previous month or and parcel or goods not delivered in end of the current month. All such undercharges should be shown as accounts and whenever the parcels or goods are delivered

amount should be forwarded to chief cashier and accounts should be cleared.

5) Freight Outstanding on inward to pay consignment for which consignments on hand - Such outstanding will be cleared on collection of freight at time of delivery or a notice will be issued to the party concerned and in response to the notice if the application are received for rebooking, the station master in such case will issue a fresh way bill or invoice for the rebooking of the consignment to new station. All charges due at the rebooking station in addition to the fresh freight are shown in this fresh way bill or invoice . The outstanding due on account of paid or to pay charges at the rebooking station will be cleared by accounting them under special credit in the concerned Balance Sheet. If no responses is received from party, the outstanding may be cleared by auction sale or transferring the to the lost property office, only after obtaining the approval of the competent authority.

6) Inward to pay freight for which consignment not on hand :- Wagon load consignment may get delivered with the approval of DCM to some other destination. In such cases the freight changes if any outstanding and the old destination station will be cleared by the exchange of document called certified overcharge sheet. The overcharge sheet will be prepared and certified by booking station and sent to the station when the debit outstanding and required to be cleared. The amount shown in the overcharged sheet will be taken under special 'Credit' to clear the outstanding.

7) Govt. Publication for sale and indemnity bonds:- The unsold Govt. publication will be cleared when they are sold out by taking cash credit . If more stock is received than the requirement of the station such stock of sellable publication should be transferred to printing press or Divisional Commercial Manager’s office to clear the outstanding.

8) OTHER MISC. ITEMS :- Generally, Wharfage & demurrage worked on for which authority issued by the competent authority if not forwarded to traffic accounts office. Traffic account office will object such 'credit' entries ; in such cases wharfage , demurrage for gone authority for the competent authority should be

obtained and a copy should be sent to traffic account office to clear the outstanding.